Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. This week, John Rich steals Donald Trump’s slippers, the Oak Ridge Boys remember the late, great Mel McDaniel, Ashton Shepherd and her husband Roland enjoy some beach time before heading to Las Vegas for the ACM Awards and more. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/johnrich.

John Rich:   @johnrich    MR.TRUMP! I Kidnapped your slippers! 1MILL for their safe return to your multi-billion dollar feet!  JR 

Justin Moore:  @JustinColeMoore    Ok…traces new song “just fishin” is what country music is all about. Badass!!! Wow

Brett Eldredge:  @bretteldredge    I think I saw Steven Segal in the airport.. Or was that just a dude with a pony tail & a hawaian shirt..Ah screw it, I’ll just say its Segal

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/taylorswift13.

Taylor Swift:  @taylorswift13    I can’t believe we get to play at the O2 in London tonight! I’m so excited, I’m wearing my beloved panda sweater.

Oak Ridge Boys:  @oakridgeboys    Mel McDaniel always told us how he once worked in a gas station and would fill up @DUANEALLEN ‘s car… RIP MEL… Stand UP… Testify!

Martina McBride:  @martinamcbride    13 yrs ago God brought a special angel to us.She is kind,caring, funny,talented,& beautiful from the inside out. Happy Birthday sweet Emma.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/DierksBentley.

Dierks Bentley:  @DierksBentley    hmmmmm….

Kellie Pickler:  @kelliepickler    I am so sick of city life and traffic…ready to move back to the country. Continue Reading

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Grand Ole Opry member Mel McDaniel.

GAC extends condolences to the loved ones of Grand Ole Opry member Mel McDaniel. Mel, 68, passed away earlier tonight after battling cancer.

A native of Checotah, Okla., Mel became an Opry member in 1986. He’s best known for his hits “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” (1981), “Big Ole Brew” (1982), the No. 1 “Louisiana Saturday Night” (1984) and “Stand Up” (1985).

At the time of his passing, Mel was working on what his website said would be his last studio album, entitled The Last Ride.

Here’s a YouTube clip we found of Mel singing “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On.” Rest in peace, Mel, and thanks for the music.

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Nashville.

Through his hits “Watching You” and “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy),” Rodney Atkins has established an affinity for songs about fatherhood. Now he’s partnering with a food in a box that’s become a friend to many parents trying to make a quick meal for the kids.

Rodney has joined hands (clean hands, we presume) with Kraft to aid its summer advertising campaign for Velveeta Shells & Cheese. Rodney penned a song, “Get Together,” for its commercials, which start running in May. Velveeta will also set itself up as a side dish at Rodney’s shows, sponsoring a Side Shack that allows people to sing alongside Rodney on an interactive screen.

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When songwriter Richard Fagan performs Wednesday evening at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café, the evening will be wrapped in personal symbolism. An installment in the Bluebird’s annual series of benefits for Alive Hospice, this particular show is dedicated to the late Tom Oteri, a former Alive Hospice volunteer who was Richard’s publisher.

Tom’s April 2008 death, in the aftermath of a fight with Richard, forced Rich — best known for writing John Michael Montgomery’s “Be My Baby Tonight” and “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” — to confront his addiction to alcohol and his perpetual irresponsibility. Wednesday’s performance, with Rob Crosby and “Three Wooden Crosses” songwriter Doug Johnson, marks the first time Richard has performed at the venue since completing rehab, and he’ll no doubt be feeling Tom’s spirit.

Richard and Tom shared a house and had been business partners for 32 years, so when Tom died — apparently, it seemed at the time — by Richard’s hand, it shocked Nashville’s music community. Tom was being treated for a broken rib with fentanyl, an opiate that can create breathing issues. He’d gone through a long stretch of depression, and Richard — unused to seeing his associate in that state of mind — wasn’t dealing with it well. He got high April 26, 2008, on tequila and antidepressants, then got in a fight with Tom that turned physical. In the process, he slashed Tom’s wrist with a knife. They both went into immediate shock over what had happened.

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Billy Currington photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

#9 on GAC’s Top Stories of 2009 |  View all »

People, Billy Currington noted in his award-nominated story song, are crazy. Sometimes Mother Nature is, too, and she left Billy black and blue in the most shocking of a bunch of country-music health stories that made headlines in 2009.

Billy’s weather disaster — which occurred in Camrose, Alberta, on Aug. 1 — was a doozy. A major storm toppled the outdoor stage. One fan died when a speaker fell on her, Billy was hospitalized with a concussion, and bass player Alex Stevens needed surgery for a severed artery after he was pinned for 30 minutes beneath the stage.

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